Bulgarians vote on Sunday for the third legislative elections of the year, torn between weariness and slim hope for a better future.
The elections are taking place in the middle of the fourth wave of Covid-19, in the least vaccinated country in the EU.
"
I hope we finally have a new government for a better life,
" says Stanka Lenkova, a 73-year-old pensioner, in an office in the suburbs of Sofia.
But others, before slipping their ballot into the ballot box, feared "
that it would be in vain
."
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Many Bulgarians did not even come: turnout was less than 26% at 4 p.m. (3 p.m. in France) according to the Electoral Commission, the lowest of this year's elections.
After the failure of the two previous elections, in April and July 2021, for lack of a coalition agreement between the parties, will this time be the right one?
In unison, the various political leaders expressed their determination to break the deadlock, unprecedented since the end of the communist regime.
"
Bulgaria needs a government which functions normally
", pleaded Kiril Petkov, one of the stars of the poll, after having voted in the capital, surrounded by a swarm of photographers and cameras.
"Feeling of chaos"
Among the urgent subjects to be dealt with, the management of the health crisis.
Because the interim cabinet appears powerless in the face of the deterioration of the situation.
Hospitals are overwhelmed by coronavirus cases and nearly 200 people die every day, in this Balkan country where less than a quarter of the 6.9 million inhabitants are fully vaccinated.
The death rate there is one of the highest in the world, against a backdrop of the dilapidated health system.
Three patients died this weekend in a fire in a hospital establishment.
"
In society, there is the feeling of a chaotic situation
", emphasizes Antony Todorov, professor at the New Bulgarian University.
Boïko Borissov's conservative party Gerb "
plays it very well
", putting up election posters in the city "
Against disorder
".
Credited with the first place in the polls, the former Prime Minister, accused of corruption by his detractors, is now considered "
infrequent
".
And in the opinion of the political scientist, it is unlikely that his training will manage to return to power.
Thirst for change
There is a thirst for “
alternation
”, assures Boriana Dimitrova, director of the polling institute Alpha Research. In a Parliament which promises to be once again "
fragmented
", when no less than 27 parties present themselves, the polls place two "
new faces
"
in a good position
.
Kiril Petkov and his sidekick Assen Vassilev, met on the Harvard benches, stand out in the Bulgarian political landscape. These forty-year-old entrepreneurs, ex-ministers of the interim cabinet, jostled the race by launching in September a centrist movement, “
Let's continue the change
”. Their goal: "to
eradicate corruption
", in this country last in the ranking within the EU. The two men said they were ready for a "
compromise
" to set up a coalition.
"
They are very enthusiastic
" but have little experience, warns Ms Dimitrova, who predicts an "
unstable
"
coalition
because of differences of opinion.
"
Left, center or right, it doesn't matter,
" Kiril Petkov retorts.
"
If we can stop
'corruption'
and redistribute money for the welfare of taxpayers, then we should be able to get along with many parties
."
Along with the legislative elections, the Bulgarians also elect their president on Sunday.
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Roumen Radev, candidate for his succession, is the favorite among the 23 candidates even if he will no doubt have to wait for the second round scheduled for November 21 to win against the rector of the University of Sofia Anastas Gerdjikov, supported by Gerb.
Roumen Radev, former fighter pilot and head of the armed forces, recalled "
the enormous stake
" of these elections to "
continue the cleansing
" of the country, started since the fall in April of Boïko Borissov, his sworn enemy.
Offices close at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. in France), when exit estimates will be unveiled.
